Slower is better. Do you think you take the weight off quickly and then suddenly, you're a skinny person who eats the way you WANT to eat and doesn't gain weight? You will have the lifestyle that you had when you were dieting - that's what being skinny is going to be like. So when you're dieting, if the weight comes off slowly, it means you are living the lifestyle and you are getting there.

What does it mean if the weight comes off quickly? It means you've done something pretty harsh to your body - cut it off from calories enough to shock it into shedding pounds - and you're going to have to continue that if you want to keep that new, lower weight. How does that sound as a way of life, for the rest of your life, every day of the rest of your life?

Maybe it sounds OK. Maybe the steep drops (usually followed by plateaus, or even worse, weight gain again) add some drama to the process and you're fine with it. But then, you will be like most dieters who don't have a long-term plan, and their bodies react to the short-term plan.

Personally, the slower weight loss is less-painful. I can deal with one pound a week and be fine with it. As long as it IS one pound a week. Even a half-pound is OK, if it has to be that way. It's still a relatively painless 25 pounds a year, approximately!